Like many others, I’m planning a few changes for my life for next year. I’m a believer in finding one’s own way, while still abiding the advice of the wise. Often called upon for inspirations are the timeless words of Confucius, the inspiring speeches of Martin Luther King, the controversial yet insightful analyses of Sigmund Freud, and the various authors…
There’s a large group of people that mean a lot to me. Some of them I know well, and others I only know peripherally through their relationships with those with whom I am more familiar. Some of them I like a lot, but with others I rarely see eye-to-eye. Many of them I consider to be friends, and a few…
Ok, I have two admissions that I must bare to the world in this post. The first is that I’ve been a little lazy. I’ve admired – from a distance – this T-SQL Tuesday thing ever since it started. It’s been great! A bunch of people blogging on the same day about their own interpretation of some common topic –…
“Hey man, this is Ty*, what’s happening?” roared the familiar voice in my Bluetooth earpiece. It was a voice I knew well, and briefly brought a smile to my face. After exchanging pleasantries and catching up a bit, Ty revealed the real reason for his call: “Say, dude, I’m looking for a new job, and I was hoping you’d write…
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for SQL Server community and PASS related news. First and probably most importantly is that the location for SQL Rally 2012 has been chosen, and we are happy to announce that it’ll be right here in Dallas! After several months of research and evaluation, PASS awarded next year’s event to this area based…
As I write this, I’m somewhere in the air over Florida, headed back home to Dallas from participating in the first-ever SQL Rally event. The past few days have been an adventure in many ways, and I’m happy to report that the entire experience was both positive and memorable. Wednesday The trip started out in chaos: an immense line of…
Earlier today I read a blog post that compares consultants with corporate staff members. The author unashamedly compares consultants to major league baseball players, while grouping corporate staffers into the minor leagues. While he does make a few valid points, the theme of the post – as well as many of the assumptions he makes – are out of left…
During my visit to Denver last September for SQL Saturday 52, I spent a while talking with Marc Beacom, who mentioned that the 3 PASS chapters in and around Denver hold their monthly meetings on consecutive nights. When I brought up my love for snowskiing, he suggested that we combine a ski trip with a speaking trip. Thus began the…
Next week, I’ll be making a swing through central Colorado on a working vacation of sorts. I met up with Marc Beacom when I went up to Denver to speak at their SQL Saturday in September, and he mentioned that they have three user groups (Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Denver) that meet on three consecutive nights each month. My love…
I just received notification from the Microsoft MVP Award Program that I’ve received the MVP award for SQL Server for 2011. This is my second year to be awarded, and I’m very honored to be a part of this group. As always, I offer a big thank you to the SQL Server community for allowing me to share my humble…